This past week, a recent article from Mark Bittman popped up in my Twitter feed. I read it, immediately fell asleep (usually the way I cope with stress), and then woke up with a bad case of agita that lasted the rest of this week. I re-read the article three times and each time I came away thinking the same thing: What the f*** is Mark Bittman talking about? The premise of his article is that “foodieism” has to mean more than just enjoying food (OK, I agree), and that foodies are now “fighting to protect human life on Earth.” If that wasn’t a tall enough order for someone who just wants to support their local farmer and feed their family as healthily as possible, he points to the following front lines that foodies need to be battling on (this is not the full list):

Defending Democratic Principles

Preventing Catastrophe (define, please?)

Food stamps

Land

Air

Water

Affordable universal health care

Animal-welfare

Better wages

Protecting farm workers

Protecting retail workers

Protecting restaurant workers

Immigrants

“Anyone who is harassed at work/at home (mostly women)”

“free (and good) school lunches” (isn’t “good” a relative term/idea?)

Fighting CAFOs

Monocultures

Now, I want to say this: I really like and respect Mark Bittman. But this kind of ridiculous preaching has the exact opposite effect of what it is intended to do. There are many people out there who are interested in food issues, and you basically just beat the sh*t out of them with an incredibly long (and vague) list of political/cultural/economic “intersectionalities.” In other words, throwing out a huge list of incredibly complex issues threatens to paralyze people in their tracks who feel like, “well, I can’t do that, and that means probably nothing I can do will make a difference.” Let’s take it even more granular: What was I, Elettra Wiedemann, meant to come away with after reading this article? That I am supposed to be simultaneously fighting for “land, air, and water” (quality and purity, presumably), while also preventing harassment, and also “preventing catastrophe”? How are young parents – working hard to provide a safe home, good opportunities, and food for their families – supposed to do all this? How are young 20-somethings, (many millions of whom are in debt because of student loans) supposed to meaningfully participate in this? Also, am I supposed to apply these principles to my food shopping choices? Is there a certain cereal, for example, that comes from a company that fights for environmental rights, food stamps, and literally everyone working in the food industry (farm, retail, and restaurants)? (If there is, please let me know).

If this were a speech that Bittman had delivered at a food industry or food politics-type conference, I probably would not have batted an eye. But this article was published on Grub Street, the food section of New York Magazine, which is a consumer facing magazine. So, to my mind, his article was about 1,090 words worth of a lost opportunity. Because people really give a shit about what Mark Bittman thinks and says (like me). And rather than doubling down on core principles of the food movement, or actions that he knows are especially important to take right now, he presents a list of things that just make you want to cry, click out of the story, or sleep. He leaves us stuck in a kind of analysis paralysis – thinking about lots of things, but taking actions on none.

If you are progressive in today’s world (and I consider myself one), it is indeed a very scary time. Every day does feel like a battle to save the Planet. But the reality is also this: we’re all human. We all have immediate day-to-day responsibilities and needs that sometimes can contradict longer term realities and goals, and vice-versa. For me, the very big picture is that corporate interests are concentrating their grip on power, and the way to fight back is to fund and support businesses, people, and values at the opposite end of the spectrum. For me, that means:

Of course, when I can do more, I do. But on the day-to-day, leaders of the foodie movement, like Bittman, have to GET REAL and quickly. This is a time when we really need leaders with a clear and concise vision to help light the way and help us to focus our efforts and our dollars. These kinds of preachy articles will make most people – even the most dedicated and concerned –feel more helpless than we did before.

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About Elettra

Elettra Wiedemann is the founder of Impatient Foodie, a food site that navigates her desire to marry Slow Food ideals with the realities of fast paced, urban life. Within just a few months of launch in summer of 2014, Impatient Foodie was featured in numerous publications including Vogue, The New York Post, The Daily Mail (UK) Elle US, Elle China, Yahoo Food, Yahoo News, Madame Figaro, and Racked, ManRepeller, and Food & Wine Magazine.